The Cleveland Cavaliers got off to a great start on Friday, opening up a double-digit lead against the Celtics six minutes into the game. They never looked back, executing on both sides of the floor en route to a 124-95 victory. The game set a record for the largest victory for a road team in Boston. LeBron James scored 21 points to set the tone in the first quarter, and finished with a line of 38/8/7 for the night.

Game Summary:

“My impression of the fight? Shane’s gonna come out and hit Floyd in the mouth, and Floyd is gonna sprout a tail, grow wings, draw fangs and claws and turn into a Dragon in the ring; And he’ll start spittin’ fire balls.”

– Naazim Richardson, before the Mayweather-Mosley fight

LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers got hit in the mouth hard on Monday. They couldn’t get stops on defense. They weren’t running their offense or making shots. LeBron was unusually passive. All of that led to the Cavaliers getting embarrassed on their home floor.

On Friday night, LeBron and the Cavaliers responded. LeBron knew what the stakes were, and he set the tone by playing aggressive and putting the Celtics in a hole right out of the gate. He looked for his mid-range jumper early and made every shot he got a look at, going 5-7 from outside the paint in the first quarter. When he got transition opportunities or saw that Boston’s help wasn’t in place, he went hard to the basket for the basket or free throws. At the end of the first quarter, LeBron had 21 points and the Celtics had 17.

A lot of times in the regular season, the rest of the Cavs would take their foot off the gas pedal when LeBron had a huge scoring start, particularly if he was doing it from outside. On Friday night, the Cavs matched LeBron’s intensity on both ends of the floor. Shaq looked for deep position early and got some points inside. Antawn Jamison made a runner or two, but most of his points came from going right to the front of the rim and accepting contact.

On defense, the Cavs played Anthony Parker well off of Rajon Rondo, packed the paint, and made Boston work for all of their baskets. Boston couldn’t hit a shot from outside, going 4-14 from outside the paint in the first quarter. Between LeBron going off, their shots not falling, and the whistles not going their way, Boston completely unraveled.

It was all downhill for the final three quarters. LeBron stayed in the game until there was 6:50 remaining in the second quarter; by that point, the Cavs were up 18. The Celtics started making some shots in the second and third quarters, but they couldn’t stop the Cavs from running a layup line and hitting nearly all of the outside shots they did end up taking.

By the time LeBron left the game with 5:40 left to play, the Cavs were up 30. A statement game. A rout. A massacre. An embarrassment. Call it what you will. The most important thing about game three is that it was a win. The Cavs have home-court advantage back, and have a great chance to pounce on Boston this Sunday and take a 3-1 lead back to the Q.

Cavs-Related Bullets:

-LeBron James. Wow. He completely controlled the game from the opening tip. It wasn’t a timely scoring explosion or beautiful shot — it was LeBron completely and overwhelming the Celtics from start to finish.

After all the talk about the elbow, this might be as well as I’ve ever seen LeBron shoot from the outside. He lined it up, found space, and knocked it down like it was a layup. When the lane was open for a pass or a drive, he took it. But mostly he just went to the perimeter and drained shot after shot. There’s nothing any defense can do about that. Unreal. Absolutely unreal. When the team needed him to step up, he was completely dominant. That’s why he’s a two-time MVP.

-There’s Shaq! Deep position, strong finishes, went to the offensive glass aggressively. This is exactly what he needs to do when he’s out there. When you weigh 325 points, you should never be “settling” for shots.

-Gritty game for Jamison. His outside shot wasn’t on, but he did a great job of working off the ball and getting tough baskets inside en route to 20 points. And even though KG had his best shooting night of the series, Jamison made him get his baskets on post-ups and outside jumpers rather than layups. It’s fine to give up points, just not easy ones.

-Mo’s still waiting for that first three of the series, but boy did he make up for it by attacking off the dribble. I’m not sure why the offense isn’t getting him the shots he likes; that said, give props to Mo for putting his head down and going to the basket rather than try and force himself into the offense.

-AP and Delonte: 25 points on 9-11 shooting from the field. That’s huge. AP knocked down all three of his looks from deep, and Delonte couldn’t miss a pull-up jumper. I will say that I didn’t love the way Delonte was stopping the ball and settling for jumpers. Hard to argue with results, though.

-31-34 from the line! 31-34 from the line! 31-34 from the line!

Bullets of Randomness:

-Paul Pierce, you cannot score against LeBron. You are old, slow, and extremely crafty. LeBron is young, freakishly fast, and also crafty. It’s not going to work out. Please keep trying, though.

-Give Mo and company credit for chasing Ray Allen all night and preventing him from getting easy looks. The Celtics were waiting for the Cavs to get lazy and allow open looks from deep all game long, but it never happened. Great defensive effort on Friday night.

-Nate Robinson took 10 shots in 13 minutes.

Alright, that’s all for tonight. Great win, but remember it only counts for one game. The Celtics are a home win from tying this series up again. The Cavs didn’t listen to the people who said the sky was falling after game two; they can’t listen to the people who say they’re invincible now. There’s a lot of work to be done before this series is over. If the Cavs buckle down and play the full 48, they can do it. Until later, folks.

No Z though. I feel bad for him. Everyone wanted him back, and then when he returned, nobody wanted him to play. But he’s a core teammate, need him in the locker room and on the bench and against Orlando/L.A. if the Cavs face those teams.

People seems to trash AP all the time on this blog but he is the guy on the team I have the most confidence in shooting an open three. And I know I should be used to it by now, but Jamison just has the weirdest game. Like he just can’t release a shot in a normal way. It’s fun to watch, but just crazy that he can be so successful shooting like that.

This game just goes to show that every game can be a different story in the NBA. Hopefully the Cavs have had their final wake up call now and can continue to play with this kind of focus. Even though I know they can’t do it every game, I love the 31-34 from the line. Way to step it up when we need it.

Masterful is the only word to describe Lebron’s performance.
And I loved how Jamison, Delonte and even Mo attacked off the dribble.

But how bout some respect for Mike Brown. He made several adjustments that deserve credit:
1- Clearly his rants about “urgency” were either effective or very coincidental.
2- Used some token full court pressure to keep the energy and tempo up
3- While not shaking things up entirely, did employ a bit more quickness and flexibility within substitution patterns
4 – Mixed up coverages and assignments (Mo on Allen, AP on Rondo)

I assume Z didn’t play because MB asked him and he didn’t want to play. He made a comment another night that he didn’t like coming in like that because he wasn’t loose. I’m thinking he’ll be there should we need him for matchups in a later series.

And I liked to see Powe too but he does not look good running down the court. Still would like to see him against Orlando should we get there given his uncanny ability to get fouled.

yeah Bradley I kind of was like WTF at that, but Robinson’s cool with me(i’m 5’5).
I’m also guessing that if Big Z wanted to play tonight he would have. That’s how much of an unbelievable team player he is. I think he may feel as if he’s a liability out there right now. I love Ilgauskas. I love these Cavs.

1.) Anthony Parker played an awesome game. We all notice when he plays bad, but not when he plays well. (to steal from Krolik)
2.) Delonte West played very good D on Ray Allen.
3.) Jamison cutting the basket is a thing of beauty. He finally made KG work.
4.) The Cavs won by 29 @ Boston and despite the conventional wisdom about the Celtics playing like crap – they hit an awful lot of tough shots. It’s one thing to be up big because the other team can’t toss a rock into the ocean (Cavs game 2) it’s quite another when the other team is making shots, just not keeping pace.
5.) I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE the full court press. Watching Rondo play 47 1/2 minutes in game 2 I thought to myself: “The Cavs HAVE to make him pay for playing this many minutes.” Of course most people think the way to do that is for Mo to make him work on the Defensive end. But that’s playing into the C’s hands. I like the FCP because it gives Rondo one more thing to think about, messes with timing, and makes a statement that we don’t care about wearing out AP because we don’t NEED him to score, and we have 3 more SGs we could throw at Rondo.
6.) I’m VERY interested to see how the Cavs react to this blowout win. They went away from their defensive principles as Windy pointed out, they caught the Celtics off guard with a few things defensively, and basically they all played very aggressive (but smart) for 48 minutes. They didn’t “let the game come to them” or “read and react” or “collapse and contest”. And honestly, a little bit of Mike Brown probably died tonight, because in the Words of Sasha Pavlovic, “The Cavs Offense was their Defense” tonight.
7.) As a fan I’m a huge proponent of Defense first, but good offense can REALLY be devastating to an opposing team. See: Magic 2009 ECF. The Celtics executed and did what they could in the 2nd and 3rd quarter, and the Cavs just continued to pour it on – they had no answer. I felt the Cavs never recovered in game 2 after Sheed hit all those shots. “tipping the cap” or whatever is a nice little cliche but it really wears on a team when it feels helpless. Tonight the Celtics were HELPLESS against the Cavs. They almost scored 100 points and they still lost by 30.
8.) So Shaq right under the basket will convert around 80% of the time. Shaq when he can’t use the backboard or dunk will convert about 8% of the time. Cavs did a better job of getting him easier shots but they STILL started the game with the ridiculous ISO against Perkins…ARGHHH I thought I was in for a long night – and then everything changed after those 4 straight turnovers in the first.
9.) Is Jamario Moon the ANTI anthony parker? Do I only notice him when he’s doing good things? Cus I feel like he is a total stud and then I look at this +/- and it is always bad. Don’t know what to make of it.
10.) Varejao played like NOT A ZOMBIE! If he starts to come around and Mo can string together a few hot shooting nights – I do believe this team can beat the juggernaut that is the Magic.

11.) Time to stop overreacting to one game and calling for Mike Brown’s head. I can’t believe how many people I’ve talked to who were ready to send the Cavs fishing and are now totally stoked again. Gotta see things with some perspective.

Still not even close to convinced they can beat the magic. Losing by 18 at home to an nice, but not great team, doesn’t just vanish from my memory. Nonetheless, they have put their foot down that they aren’t dead yet.

Parker is better than people have given him credit for all season. I think Jamario has been given way more credit than he deserves. I’m like the anti-average cavs fan.

Just one game sure. But that game should be placed on a pedestal somewhere. That was one of the most complete Cavs victories in franchise history, especially given the venue and the stakes. I just sat in awe for 2 hours.

Also… Nate Robinson would be first team all-garbage time if such a thing existed. Ricky Davis is in the garbage time hall of fame.

Its about time this team plays hard for 48 minutes…out of 8 games theyve only done it twice…maybe theres this whole conserving energy thing but damn itd be nice if they did this every game…at least if they went all out from the start and have a huge lead they can rest the starters cuz the bench isnt that much of a drop off….we are a deep enough team.

i did notice the nate ‘goose’ thing and didnt really react mainly because we were still up 25 or something…its like whatever…

parker is one of those guys that ive ripped a lot…mainly on other cavs forums/blogs…but tonight was one of those where he played well and did his job on both ends. i was a little peeved on his careless turnovers (throwing ball away, having foot out of bounds when wide open) but he hit all his shots and did solid on rondo…really liked the full court press

i know opposing teams make big adjustments each game whether its a blowout loss or close win or whatever it may be…for the Cavs they need to continue this and keep the momentum going….they need to drive and they will get the fouls. Both series so far, when the Cavs drive they get the fouls…the refs last nite were a bit whistle happy for us….who knows if we get that lucky…but go for it anyways.

Garnett is a punk bitch i hope he gets thrown out of a game…his antics are so annoying

Pierce is worthless right now….in order on Celtics on fear Rondo, Allen, and Garnett/Baby Davis…Pierce is maybe next on list

How Rondo goes the rest of the Celtics go. The “Big Three” don’t want to admit it, but he’s their best player. In Game 3 the Cavs made him settle for jumpers more than the other games and that changed everything.

If the Cavs play like that consistently, they can beat anyone. It’s the same intensity that they had against the Lakers and Magic in their wins this year. It’s just unknown at this point if they can actually keep it up.

Here’s the question. Do the Cavs get complacent and go into game four thinking they can easily recreate this performance? Or are they able to anticipate Boston’s adjustments and give them a truly demoralizing beat down at home again?

Based on the observed pattern so far this postseason, I’m guessing we get a little bit of a letdown game on Sunday. Then a win at home and finally victory in game six.

I hope the Cavs pretend that this game didn’t happen and just watch film of game 2 for game 4.

Again, if they can control Rondo and Allen, the Celtics cannot win a game against them, because KG and Pierce far are past their prime.

You have to love how much people hate on Lebron James. That’s the price of being by far the best player in a league of superstars. And unlike a lot of superstars, he just lets his game do the talking.

Krolik has pondered at the real cause of the pronounced resentment of Lebron.

There isn’t anything to ponder. Lebron is too good at basketball, leadership, and being a kind, legitimate person to comprehend for people who like their superstars to have a dramatic history and detrimental vices (like Kobe). In world of fraud, criminality,and corruption, Lebron’s character is almost messianic given how much money and power he has. I’m wearing my Lebron shoes today.

The Cavs will win this series, even if they lose the next game. The Magic scare me more than any team in the league.

Thought it was great how they abused Nate Robinson on the defensive end, posting him up for easy jumpers and lane shots. He may be one of the better shooters for Boston, but he’s definitely a defensive liability and we can’t complain about seeing him out there.

Every one is talking about the Magic and seeing as they eliminated us last year they DO deserve respect. But lets remember last year it was THEM playing the longer series’ against tougher teams and US who swept our way to the ECF and we all remember how that worked out.

“Krolik has pondered at the real cause of the pronounced resentment of Lebron.

There isn’t anything to ponder. Lebron is too good at basketball, leadership, and being a kind, legitimate person to comprehend for people who like their superstars to have a dramatic history and detrimental vices (like Kobe). In world of fraud, criminality,and corruption, Lebron’s character is almost messianic given how much money and power he has. I’m wearing my Lebron shoes today.”

People like you who constantly spew this kind of crap are a huge part of the answer why. It’s pure arrogance and simplistic to the highest level. It makes you sound like a twelve year old kid and no one likes to listen to a twelve year old who thinks he knows much more than he does.

Let’s also remember that the Cavs DID beat the Magic twice this year, and played them close in both losses, one of which doesn’t really count because Lebron and Shaq didn’t play and neither team had anything to play for. Last year the Magic dominated the Cavs in the regular season and they had that Turkoglu guy. There was good reason to believe the Cavs would have a lot of trouble in that series. The Magic are obviously playing very well and there are different matchup problems this year but the Cavs definitely CAN beat them. But let’s get there first.

It isn’t good for the Celtics that Rondo can’t just be good, but he has to be the best player on the court for them to win. Players an fans alike are talking about how well we did on Rondo..well, he was still 9-17 with 18 points and 8 assists. That is still pretty freaking good for a guywho can’t shoot and something we would love to see out of any of our PGs. Fortunately, Rondo playing really well isn’t enough..has to be truly great.

To whomever said that I am one of those people who hate for no reason – I’m sorry, but I don’t understand your reasoning. I actually gave a very specific reason why I and countless others have a different view of Lebron than others. You may disagree with my reasons, but you’ve completely failed to comprehend what I was saying. Apologies for the harsh tone in my first post, but if you can’t see how the attitude that Lebron is a paragon of virtue and a messianic figure in the NBA might annoy some people, (an attitude that I and others believe Lebron plays up and encourages) then I don’t see why I should give any weight to your thoughts on the subject. Simplistic reasoning like was give for why “we” hate Lebron does nothing to actually get at answering the question posed by Mr. Krolik. Cheers.

First of all, my comment wasn’t directed at you. I don’t think I’ve ever read any of your comments. A sign of a paranoid is someone who thinks everything is about him/her.

Secondly, you’re really anal, but I’m sure you already know that.

I should also say that I’m a different Kevin than the other Kevin posting on this board.

I love this quote: “People like you who constantly spew this kind of crap are a huge part of the answer why. It’s pure arrogance and simplistic to the highest level. It makes you sound like a twelve year old kid and no one likes to listen to a twelve year old who thinks he knows much more than he does.”

Have you ever heard of projection? It’s when you apply your inner insecurity and anxiety onto someone else. It happens a lot. You know my comment wasn’t childish, you just had to call me a 12-year-old because you were feeling like one right then. You also didn’t really have a counterargument, you just got really angry.

Lebron is the real deal. It would suck to have to hate that guy. Really, I feel sorry for you.

There might be three Kevin’s then. My first comment was the one that says “I hope the Cavs pretend that this game didn’t happen and just watch film of game 2 for game 4…” Then my second comment was directed at jonathan, who was irate about my original comment, which complimented Lebron James on his character. I think it’s sad when someone as legit as Lebron gets hated just because he is that good.

It don’t matter. It’s a good name. I hope the Cavs come out for game 4 with that same kind of urgency they had in game 3, with Lebron not wasting any time to get his game going.

Hi Kevin 2 – the reason I said whomever was simply because the person who determined that I hate things for no reason declined to attach a name to their post so i didn’t know to whom I should address my reply. And yes I have heard of projection: but you seem to misuse it in this instance. And at the base of your misuse of this theory is the simple fact that I never said your comment was childish (at least in the pejorative sense) but rather that it was a simplistic comment and a simplistic view on the subject, and ones that I would expect from someone of the mentioned age. Maybe only a slight difference, but one that is essential to comprehend if you’re going to try and say that I’m projecting.

And my point was a counter-argument. You said Lebron is disliked because of x, I said he’s disliked because of y. That’s a counter-argument.

So what “notes” am I supposed to take from you? Should I follow your lead and make random personal insults? You say that I’m paranoid but you’re the only one of us two who thought a comment with no indicator as to the intended recipient was about him. You say I should already know I’m anal but what about any of my comments would qualify as anal? And you somehow take the fact that I don’t find Lebron to be the lord and savior that you do, throw some Psych 101 my way (you could have at least been creative and tried to go for an oedipal complex) and then conclude that I’m a resentful nut job.

Bravo, sir, bravo.

My whole point, which you seemed to have somehow missed, was that you’re making the same entry-level mistake that some many have before you – thinking that because someone excels in a sport that they’re somehow a good person (and being ignorant to the fact that some people understand there is no causation). And having to hear it from you and having the media constantly sell that story (because it works on people like you) insults us. Not necessarly because we know if it is fully right or fully wrong, but because we have the capacity to understand that things usually aren’t as black and white as some people like to make them. But again, maybe I’m being overly harsh and you’ll learn these things when you grow up.

Jonathan you’re ranting. Kroliks point was straight forward enough. Lebron has has the spotlight money, fame and power from the age of 18 and has handled it about as well as you can expect a person to handle it. No scandals, off the court problems, coach issues, teammate issues, any type of issues to speak of except for media generated bs, like not shaking hands after a crushing loss, or how hurt is his elbow. You have yet to present an argument for your dislike of him that counters that point. Your point amounts to, “you guys like him too much so I hate him”. Not exactly a strong case. Then you resort to name calling and speculation. Sure his not an angel, but nobody here is claiming he is and personally I don’t know why we would expect him to be. You question whether or not he’s a “good person” with a total lack of any shred of evidence to the contrary… Get over it.

The Lineup: (Click for Author’s Archive)

Nate Smith is an Associate Editor. He grew up in Anchorage, Alaska, and moved to NE Ohio in 2000. He adopted the Cavs in 2003 and graduated from Kent State in 2009 with a BA in English. He can be contacted at oldseaminer@gmail.com or @oldseaminer on Twitter.

Tom Pestak is an Associate Editor. He's from the west side of Cleveland and lives and (mostly) dies by the success and (mostly) failures of his beloved teams. You can watch his fanaticism during Cavs games @tompestak.

Robert Attenweiler is a Staff Writer. Originally from OH, he's long made his home in NYC where he writes plays and screenplays (www.disgracedproductions.com) some of which end up being about Ohio, basketball or both. He has also written for The Classical and the blog Raising the Cadavalier. You can contact him at rattenweiler@gmail.com or @cadavalier.

Benjamin Werth is a Staff Writer. He was born in Cleveland and raised in Mentor, OH. He now lives in Germany where he is an opera singer and actor. He can be reached at blfwerth@gmail.com.

Cory Hughey is a Staff Writer. He grew up in Youngstown, the Gary, Indiana of Ohio. He graduated from Youngstown State in 2008 with a worthless telecommunications degree. He can be contacted at theleperfromwatts@yahoo.com or @coryhughey on Twitter.

David Wood is our Links Editor. He is a 2012 Graduate of Syracuse University with an English degree who loves bikes, beer, basketball, writing, and Rimbaud. He can be reached on Twitter: @nothingwood.

Mallory Factor is the voice of Cavs: The Podcast. By day Mallory works in fundraising and by night he runs a music business company. To see his music endeavors check out www.fivetracks.com. Hit him up at Malloryfactorii@gmail.com or @Malfii.

John Krolik is the Editor Emeritus of Cavs: The Blog. At present, he is pursuing a law degree at Tulane University. You can contact him at johnkrolik@gmail.com or @johnkrolik.

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